Grimm Salvation
by Shadowyman
Summary: Dark Fantasy AU. In ancient times the Cult of the Grimm clashed with the armies of humanity for the rightful rule over Remnant. Humanity barely won, but not before the Cult and its High Harbinger promised to return. Centuries later and humanity has both prospered and sinned heavily, paving the way for the Grimm Promise to come to fruition. Evil Main Cast. Not for the lighthearted.


**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY nor do I plan on making a profit off of this story.**

**Simply an idea that's been brewing around in my mind. Never written a story quite like this before, so let's see how this goes. I structured the story as if it were a video game so keep that in mind as well when reading as the pacing might be wonky sometimes.**

**This is not a tale for the weak hearted. Themes will include grotesque bloodshed, sexual activities consensual or not, bigotry, and inhumane characteristics such as cannibalism. Read at your discretion.**

* * *

_Long ago during mankind's first few steps into civilization there existed a terrible force which plagued the land of Remnant. Monstrous in design, demonic in their bloodlust, these ancient demons once ruled Remnant until the advent of humanity. While today mankind rules Remnant handedly, they were but prey and toys in the eyes of these monsters._

_Early texts classified these monsters as "Grimm" and these beasts of darkness and carnage roamed Remnant in their hunt for human flesh. Born of corrupted Aura and tainted flesh and bone, the Grimm preyed on mankind to the point of near extinction. With nothing but human ingenuity and little natural Aura, humanity quickly found itself backed into a corner. Mankind fought back like cornered rats against wave after wave of Grimm despite the inevitable. They conceded nothing and accepted nothing less than total victory and survival._

_But there were those who sought a different path towards existence, a path early man could only describe as nothing less than pure sin and treason. Those that believed in this demented salvation faced naught but pits of fire and the noose by their fellow men. Not even torture could persuade the most heretical of believers and when their bodies fell limp, they were tossed deep into the wilds to feed the monsters who they had loved and worshipped so. For these acolytes of the Grimm believed in…_

_Coexistence._

_While villages and tribes warned their children of the mad hunger and evil that drove the Grimm to so mercilessly slaughter man, early Grimm cultists discovered a different side to man's natural enemy. Grimm were beastly and demonic in design true but beneath their masks and shadows lay a mind as intelligent and advanced as any human's. While unable to communicate through intelligible speech, their corrupted Aura allowed for each species of Grimm to understand one another no matter what guttural noise and hiss they made at each other. Colonies born from untold millennia of interspecies trust and breeding created the cornerstone of barbaric Grimm civilizations._

_It is unclear as to who attempted first peaceful contact with the Grimm. Myths and stories persist of innumerable men and women who tried to understand and live with the demons, but have since been deemed fraudulent at worst and dubious at best. What is known however is who the first to succeed was. Written accounts of the war stated that it was a young woman who was the first to make peace with the Grimm. A beauty of envy and lust by all, she was cast out of her village to forever roam the Grimm infested forests of Forever Fall until her untimely demise after jealous maidens falsely condemned her of adultery with the chieftain's son. And so she left with not even a crumb to sustain her deathly sentence. Seasons lapsed and soon she became lost in the fringes of memory. But on one summer's evening, in the aftermath of a devastating forest fire, she returned. She attacked with nothing less than monstrous brutality, controlling both ferocious fire and a pack of loyal Grimm. She destroyed her home and then disappeared with nary a trace._

_Decades passed, blood was shed, and still humanity clung unto the merest shreds of survival. Cultists grew rampant as the age of man grew seemingly closer to an end, with each lost skirmish converting more towards the sanctity of the Grimm. In the eyes of the masses it was horrendous to see their neighbors run into the wilds with such blind mania, but for some it was a sign of further despair to come. For rumors of the Grimm cult flourished with each passing season._

_In time however, man found his salvation. Dust, a mineral harboring an untold amount of elemental and mystical energy, helped man push the Grimm back. With each passing generation man's natural Aura reserves swelled as well, as did any living creatures, allowing humanity to finally temper their spirit into a weapon. Ever so slowly mankind drove the Grimm further inland and with each victory human civilization grew in tandem. Rumors of the cult trickled to a halt with each slain demon until it seemed as though survival was all but assured._

_That was when she struck again. Hurling streams of fire alongside her followers and the gods they worshipped, the matriarch of the Grimm retaliated against mankind's victory. Though they lacked manpower, the cultists utilized Dust and Aura in ways unimaginable by even the foremost scholars then and even today. Fueled by their hatred for humanity's zealous slaughtering of their deities, they christened themselves as the Kingdom of Salvation, and themselves as God's Chosen, and sought to rule Remnant alongside the Grimm they worshipped. She was crowned High Harbinger, her war council the Sorority of Damnation, and they waged holy war against the rest of humanity. _

_By then the cultists were mere shells of their human forms. Decades of Grimm intermingling and blood worship had all but mutated them into Grimm itself. Some sprouted beast-like appendages and features through interbreeding while others grew white armor, crimson eyes, blackened horns, and other unspeakable deformities through unspeakable acts of horror. Their aura grew tainted and foul, bestowing them untold power and abilities. So demonic and primal they grew that man could no longer call them humans. It was here that the term Demi-Grimm was uttered in the first time in recorded history: human demons who hunted mankind alongside the Grimm, their bodies now untouched by the aging of time or the purity it once held._

_War once again ravaged the land, threatening to tear the foundations of the world asunder lest one side should fall first. Outnumbered and outclassed in battle once more, humanity shrank into its natural role as prey once again. _

_Most texts of this era have been long lost to the hands of time, however few key events are known. Four great heroes arose, each heralding from the four corners of the world, who united humanity across Remnant to fight against the Kingdom of Salvation. A united front at the center of the world clashed with the armies of Grimm. A zero sum battle commenced and in its aftermath humanity won by the tiniest margin._

_The remaining Grimm, promising their Harbinger that their time will come once again, scattered to the last unknown corners of Remnant, this time as the prey. The Sorority disbanded and either perished in battle or withered away in hiding. The few remaining cultists that survived all eventually fell to the gavel and the axe. All were hunted of course and in time humanity became confident that the Grimm had finally been eradicated from Remnant._

_And so man's place as ruler of Remnant was won. Kingdoms were erected, populations flourished, and the land became pure under the leadership of its champions._

_Centuries have passed since then and humanity now enters a veritable Golden Age. But there are those how have begun to see the faults in man's rule. Slavery is rampant, prejudice is a social norm, aristocracies rule over ever expanding slums, banditry remains largely unchecked, and corruption is a way of life for most. _

_Before it was simple to see who was evil and who was just. Now the lines have blurred as humanity reaches the apex of its sins and glory. But as man's light bursts forward to radiate the land, so too does an ancient shadow lurk underneath in hidden slumber. _

_The Grimm Promise has not been broken. Rather, there is no perfect time to return than now._

* * *

Clinks and clanks filled the musky mine air as the slaves went about their work. The dank tunnel was as tiny as it was dark with hardly any room to even stand let alone properly swing a pickaxe. Foul liquids dripped from the ceilings and pooled into disease ridden puddles. Puffed mushrooms of blues and purples occasionally sprayed their sticky spores like geysers of toxic feathers. Rotten support beams kept the shaky rock ceiling from crumbling atop whatever poor souls worked their lives away in here. However with every strike a muffled sound of creaking and cracking wood could be heard echoing at a near whisper tone, exacerbating the need to work with haste.

There were only two occupants of this section of the mine shaft. One was a rather young woman while the other was younger to the point of childlike. Number Eight was perhaps a fine maiden at some point in her life but her life as a slave has forced her to trade strength and resilience for her beauty and grace. No longer did her raven hair so vibrantly shine underneath the warmth glow of the sun or her skin as fair as fine silk. Slightly calloused hands and cut bare feet now betrayed her youthful charm. Her eyes were a lifeless amber as they watched stone pebbles crumble to her weakening strikes. Her soiled and dirt stricken rag shirt and pants poorly concealed her body and the bruises the foreman had beaten onto it. A perpetually saddened frown adorned her lips, her teeth slightly chattering against the cold, moist cavern air.

Besides her was her newly appointed partner. Her previous one died after his body suffered a fatal reaction to the mushrooms around them. The spores caused his body to deform as boils covered his skin, spewing milky white slime when popped. His body was hastily thrown into the surrounding swamp before any more complications arose. The company was just as quick to toss another slave into the mine to take his place. His replacement was a girl just barely out of childhood. Short and as skinny as the wan trees on the island, Number Seven took to mining poorly. She could barely swing the pick, much less strike the stone walls properly. Number Eight often had to pick Number Seven off the floor after long hours as the poor girl could barely breathe after a single shift. She was kind though, as sickly as she seemed. Her short black and reddish hair coupled with her girlish chuckles made each day less tormenting and Number Eight always offered one of her rare grins at the sight.

Tonight was the last shift before tallies were counted. It would be an ordeal to suffer through since their combined efforts has resulted in only a handful of Dust fragments of different varieties. Large pieces of the mineral was dangerous when exposed to air, however their tiny fragments could not explode even if it tried. Their foreman would not be pleased either way though; they still did not meet their weekly quota.

That was when the beatings were issued and for women slaves it was an opportunity for the other free workers and the foremen to have their way with them as well. She shuddered in tearful despair as she dropped the pick next to her, her hands covering her quiet sobs. So far she had eluded the lustful desires of their masters through the beatings but after their failure this week she and Number Seven would no doubt be subject to their wanton depravity. The very idea shook her spirit to its core.

"Eight?" Number Seven asked as she let the pick fall from her wan arms so that she may consul her partner. There was an unspoken agreement amongst the slaves that no real names were to be mentioned. It would do no one any good to start personal relationships with one another if your newest friend could easily die the next day. Calling each other by their slave numbers made communication simple and detached. "What's wrong?" Her voice was quiet and delicate.

"It's not enough," Eight sobbed into her hands. As she inhaled another cloud of spores she broke into a fit of violent coughing, almost retching as her partner watched in concern. A minute passed before Eight could speak coherently again. "We-We couldn't mine enough Dust out. The foreman will come by soon to check our stock and once he realizes he will…he will…" She choked back another sob as images of pure sin and disgust flooded her mind. "They will beat us and…use us."

Seven sniffled as tears streamed down her face no as well. She had long realized that fate given her health. She offered Eight as big of a hug as she could despite her weariness. "It is okay Eight. L-let me take the blame. I do not want you to get hurt because of me."

"No!" Eight yelled as she met Seven's bloodshot eyes with her own. "You're just a girl Seven, a girl with nothing but a future ahead of you. I cannot just throw you to those horrible men knowing what will happen to you."

"I-I cannot do the same to you either." Seven's frail voice only made her request all the more heartbreaking for Eight. "You have taken such good care of me Eight. You nursed me when I was sick, fed me when rations were scarce, even worked shifts for me when I couldn't stand anymore. Please let me take care of you this time. Just this once?" Seven asked with the weakest of smiles.

Eight wiped her tears off on her stained sleeves and vehemently shook her head. "Stop with this nonsense Seven. I will not have them take you." Eight grabbed her pick and began chipping away at stone again. Seven watched tiredly as her friend hacked away at the wall, desperation painted on both their faces. While Seven already resigned herself to death Eight was adamant on saving both of them.

Loud minutes crept by as Eight relentlessly picked at the wall. Her sleeves were drenched with sweat and tears as she took second long breaks to wipe her brow. Stone shrapnel flew every which way with each swing, bouncing off mushrooms and forcing the fungus to spew even more spores. Eventually the air grew too saturated for even a veteran like Eight to endure and she broke down into a fit of hacking and wheezing. Seven shambled to her side as she coughed up spore ridden saliva and phlegm.

"Damn it all!" Eight cursed in between her coughing. "Damn it!"

"Please stop!" Seven demanded. She couldn't bear to see her partner hurt herself so much for her sake. "You do not-"

With another roar of anguish Eight mustered enough strength to slam the pick into the wall once more. This time the stone broke like ice under the attack, shattering into pebbles and opening a small passageway.

"Woah," Seven whispered as she peered into the tunnel. Unfortunately nothing but darkness was all they could see. "What should we-hey!" Seven cried out as Eight picked up her pick as well as a nearby hanging torch and began to crouch into the tunnel. "What are you doing?"

"I am going in," Eight proclaimed. Before Seven could protest her further she turned and gave the girl a hopeful smile. "You stay here. You'll be safer that way."

"And you won't be!" Seven argued as grabbed Eight's arm in an attempt to pull her out. But despite Eight's exhaustion Seven couldn't even get her to budge. "Stop! Who knows what is on the other side?"

"Dust hopefully," Eight answered. "But I cannot let you follow. You are right, I do not know what is through there but we have little choice. And I won't jeopardize your life in case something happens in there."

"If you do not return I'll be in jeopardy anyways," Seven countered as she crouched down as well. "And if I were to die today," Her voice quickly quieted and grew sullen. "I-I wish to die by your side, not by theirs."

Eight sighed solemnly and nodded. "Then let us make haste. We do not have long before he returns."

* * *

By the time they were deep into the passage it was clear it wasn't formed by natural events. The sides and ceiling were too clean and smooth. And not a few feet later the passage became large enough to walk through. They were made by human hands or Aura, no doubt about it. Despite the realization they kept moving, the hope in their eyes illuminated by torchlight.

"Stop."

Seven obeyed and leaned on the wall behind a now still Eight. "What is it?"

"I…can feel something."

"What do you mean?"

"I do not know. It is…hard to describe. Can you not feel it?" Eight inquired as she raised the torch slightly higher. "It feels…warm."

"You do have a torch in your hand Eight," Seven pointed out. "Are you-"

Suddenly the torch almost exploded in Eight's hand. The tar and bindings flared into a large inferno as embers jumped away from it. Eight shrieked, dropping the torch and jumping back in fear as the heat grew unbearable. However whereas a regular torch would've been snuffed out from the fall, whatever possessed theirs kept their fire barely alight.

"What in the world?" Seven whispered only to find Eight already picking up the torch and continuing onwards.

"Must be Red Dust!" Eight exclaimed with vigor as she strode forward, her pain and slight burn long forgotten. "It has to be! And a lot of it! Nothing else could make a torch explode like that." She likened the phenomenon to trace amounts of Dust in the air. Sometimes enough ambient Red Dust in a small room could cause an explosion, though no one on the island has found that much Red Dust in a tunnel before.

"Really?" Seven wondered in awe. That would be enough to buy their freedom.

With every step the tunnel grew even warmer though thankfully there weren't any outbursts of fire anymore. It was a boon to be sure, but as they delved deeper the light revealed not a single trace of Dust of any color.

However finally Eight was forced to stop once more. This time it wasn't because of a strange feeling or another blast of fire but because the tunnel suddenly led into a chamber. As she brought the torch higher to survey the interior it casted large shadows of the stalactites hanging from the low ceiling and the large boulders dotting the perimeter of the chamber. As they inched closer to the middle the torch revealed something they never would have guessed to have found.

Two skeletons were centered in the chamber. One was slightly larger than the other and both had their hands clasped together. Their faces were turned to each other as if they died gazing into each other's eyes. Dusty and torn robes barely covered their bones and small dirty baubles still adorned their bony fingers.

Seven and Eight were at a loss for words. Seven was too horrified at the sight while Eight trembled in fright. The warmth was at its hottest now. Sweat glistened on their foreheads as the temperature was near summertime levels now.

"I…" Eight muttered against the deathly silence. "I can't believe it."

"W-we should get out of here!" Seven ushered as she started to backpedal away. "This isn't natural!"

"There's no Dust!" Eight roared in despair as she dropped the pick and torch. Her eyes were closed in rage and sorrow as her hope disintegrated. "No!"

"Eight!" Seven shouted as she grabbed her partner's shoulders. She pulled her in vain to get Eight to return to the tunnel but the older woman would not budge. "This place doesn't feel right! The warmth, the explosions, and these skeletons, something dark and evil is in here. We need to-"

"No!" Eight shouted again as she knelt down by the skeletons and began to tear through the bones like a rat through refuse. "We didn't come this far to be denied!" She wrenched a ring from the smaller skeleton and hurriedly pocketed it before going through the larger. "I don't care if these are sacred saints or monstrous nightmares, we are not going back empty handed."

Seven was about to protest again but another blast of heat stopped her. It was so intense that the sensation alone brought her to her knees while Eight tried to block her face against the wave of heat. The scattered bones around them scraped against the chamber floor as the wave blew them away. "Eight! Stop it!" Seven screamed.

"Wait!" Eight replied as she narrowed her eyes against a faint glow from the skeletons' hands. It was dim but still visible despite the torch being blown away to the wall. She pulled the bones apart to find a jewel unlike anything she had ever seen. It was as dark as midnight, cut beautifully into a diamond barely smaller than the size of her palm. Wisps of black fire circled the jewel as it was enveloped by a glow of dark crimson. But as she gazed into it the world around her began to melt around her. The walls and bones seemingly spilled away into a black void. Seven and her screams grew distorted until she was nothing but a blur and her voice a deep tremolo. Her body grew numb and for a second she felt as though it would grow cold. It felt as though her soul was being sucked through her eyes and into the black abyss of the jewel.

_What?_ Eight thought dumbly as she felt her bones grow rigid and her teeth begin to chatter against the growing cold in her body. _It's…stealing my…warmth?_ She watched the wisps of midnight flame lull her into a trance, orbiting around the gem. They danced like fireflies, each one a tantalizing ember of darkness. The glow grew brighter with each passing second until it was bright enough to catch her and Seven's attention.

By now Seven's screams were entirely drowned out, not that Eight would've noticed. As seconds ticked by, the wisps began to fly towards her. Her arms felt like icicles, rigid and frost ridden, as she tried to touch them. But they always escaped her grasp and flew back towards their home. Her eyes widened as an epiphany struck her.

With one fell swoop she clenched the gem between her hands, her eyes wide and mad. Heat surged through her entire being while the previous wave of it dissipated. She smiled like a devil against the sensation, the gem now secured against her covered bosom.

A second later and her mind collapsed into indescribable pain.

Seven had barely stood up when she heard Eight howl like a banshee. She scrambled onto her feet and rushed over to her partner, trying to grab her attention somehow. "Eight! Eight!" But Eight's eyes were closed in unfettered pain whilst her screaming continued unceasingly. She made no acknowledgement of Seven's cries.

"Come to your senses Eight!" Seven cried as she tried to wrench Eight's hands open. Against the wave of heat earlier she didn't see what happened to Eight. However she saw Eight's hands tremble and closed in tight fists around something, so she deduced she was screaming because of what was in them. Her mind was racing as she fidgeted against Eight's ironclad grasp. She had no idea what was going on but she knew she had to help Eight somehow.

She couldn't even pry open a finger with her frail strength but as the seconds passed by Eight's trembling began to slow. Seven looked up to a hoarse Eight teetering on her feet, still screaming but noticeably weaker than before. "Eight! Please! Stop!" Seven screamed as she kept pulling at Eight's hands.

Slowly Eight's fingers' grip loosened and Seven pulled open her partner's fists. She didn't even give the black gem a second glance before she grabbed it. She clenched her fist in anger and tried to throw it as far away as should could from her and Eight. But once her dainty fingers clasped the jewel, she began convulsing and screaming as well.

Her body frigid and statuesque, her hair wild and sweat ridden, her eyes wide in pure agony, Seven had sealed her fate as Eight did. And when she lost her strength to stand she fell face down next to a prone Eight, Seven's arm splayed across Eight's stomach.

The jewel fell next to their bodies. Its glow now gone and its wisps of fire snuffed out.

* * *

"Eight! Seven! Get ready for inspection!"

A lumbering barrel of flesh and ale hobbled his way down the faintly lit mine shaft, repeating himself as he neared Eight and Seven's section of the cavern. In his greasy hands was a small lantern for personal lighting and a small pouch of today's Dust findings so far. The meager pickings jingled a whisper of little Lien. As such the foreman was not having a spectacular afternoon so far.

"I know you can hear me you pathetic vermin!" He yelled into the twisting passages. Usually the slaves were front and center when he made his rounds but somehow Eight and Seven decided to grow a spine today. "Come out right now!"

He was met with silence once again. With a disgruntled gruff he continued down the tunnel. And when he realized they were nowhere to be seen at the end of it his rage boiled over.

"Where are you?" He roared as he swung his lantern around, maddening illuminating the tunnel to find any trace of the two. "Show yourself this instant or else you two cunts will be servicing me and the boys tonight!"

No reply but upon a second inspection of the tunnel he saw a small cavern, or an escape route. "So that's your game is it?" He muttered darkly to himself. The foreman stuffed his bag of Dust into a pant pocket and swiftly produced a small iron dagger from his belt. "You think you can escape from me? Oh I don't think so." He slowly began his crawl through the narrow cavern, his large size doing more harm than good. "Fuck the boys. I'll fancy myself a quick taste before I give them the sloppy seconds." He huffed out.

Minutes of sweaty crawling passed before the foreman finally made his way into a larger open section of the cavern. He swung his lantern around madly to find any trace of the girls and once he saw the familiar sight of Eight's prone form he smiled with perverted glee. "Oh? What's this then?" the foreman chuckled arrogantly as he made his way to Eight. "You all…tuckered out from trying to escape me Eight?"

Still he heard no response but that didn't matter now. All that mattered to the foreman was Eight's delicious looking body. She was on her back, eyes closed and seemingly asleep. Even a chaste man would be tempted to ravage such a fine, free treat. And now Eight was all alone ready for him.

As he approached the unconscious slave the foreman could barely hold his excitement back. His pants were already growing tight with anticipation, his eyes wide and feral. He carefully placed his lantern beside Eight before he knelt down atop of her, his rear barely above her waist. He traced his dagger across her clothed bosom and nestled it under her chin. The barest movement from either of them would easily force the dagger through her naked throat.

"Oh it would be so easy just to stick you like the fucking sow you are you little slut," the foreman drawled as he swallowed a sticky wad of saliva. "But that would be too easy now wouldn't it? Too bad you're unconscious right now. I would love to see the fear in your eyes right now. Watch them tear up all nice and wet as I get my cock all nice and wet," he laughed as he started to drool at the thought. "Me and boys had always wanted to get a taste of ya. Ya must've been such a sweet little honeypot before you got here eh? Well after this little escape attempt of yours you and that little girl will be our cum pots until we get sick of ya!"

Yet even as he raised his voice Eight still kept sleeping which began to annoy the braggart foreman. He soon grabbed the hem of her rag shirt and began to slowly peel it off her body, revealing inch after inch of white, soft skin. "Ooh I can't wait. We haven't even beat ya lately yet, ooh that looks so nice and soft."

"Get. Off."

The foreman jumped back in shock at the sound of Eight's voice. He shakily rose to his feet and brandished his dagger at the still prone Eight. "What the fuck? You were awake all along?"

Eight ignored the question, choosing to slowly rise to her feet. But as the torch illuminated her now awake face, the foreman quickly realized something was drastically different with his slave now. No longer did she look fearful or tired as she usually did. Her amber eyes were as sharp as steel and burned against the torch light like molten hatred. Her stance, normally uneasy and haggard, changed into one of perfect posture.

"What the fuck?" The foreman barked again. Again Eight gave no reply as she simply glared at the man with contempt. "Answer me!"

Eight gave a light scoff at the man in front of her. "Pitiful lout."

"Wha-what did you call me?" The foreman roared as he took a step forward, his dagger still at the ready. "You better watch your tongue slave, or else I'll gut you like a fish."

"A slave?" Eight asked quietly, more to herself than the foreman. "Is that what these vessels were before we overtook them?"

"Overtook-what the hell are you talking about? Did you knock the sense out of your skull as well? You and Seven have always been slaves!" The foreman replied. "In fact, where the hell is Seven-"

A wet, muffled squish erupted from the foreman's back as he himself screamed in agony. His eyes almost rolled into his head from the pain as he fell forward, his legs giving away to the pain and shock. His iron dagger fell to the floor, landing near Eight's feet while the foreman himself finally lay just a few feet away from her.

Eight took almost no notice of the spectacle, instead turning around and picking up the forgotten lantern. "Took you long enough."

A demonic roar was all that was returned as another wet, sickening squish was heard before a loud clanging of metal and earth. Eight sighed in exasperation before grabbing the dagger and walking to the foreman's corpse. "Here, you can feed first," Eight said as she offered the weapon. She raised the lantern a bit higher, illuminating Seven's small form. Her eyes were wide and feral, fixated on the corpse beneath them, and her hands were trembling. She replied with several loud pants before taking the dagger gingerly from Eight's hand.

"Thank you…High Harbinger." Seven replied as she kicked over the man, the corpse landing next to the bloody pick on the ground. Without hesitation she began to cleave into the man's chest with the weapon. Blood and carnage splashed around her as she savagely sliced open and carved into the meaty bounty. "So…hungry!" Seven rasped out.

As her carving continued southward the High Harbinger sat behind the smaller woman and began to look around the cavern more intensely, her mind racing as fast as a stallion. Too many questions bombarded her mind, each one unanswered and more perplexing than the last. How long have they slept? Why did slaves find their remains first and not soldiers, or the Hunters? How much as the world changed since they died?

She glanced at their old bones, lying scattered throughout the cavern. Their once precious relics and clothes were now enervated of their power and crumbling against the tides of time. They would be no use to them anymore.

But that didn't matter, what mattered was the plan. Their age old contingency plan: The Grimm Promise.

'We would have to find their remains, if they still exist.' She though as she took the inert jewel from her pocket. 'That is our main priority as of now. Once my Sorority is revived, then proper preparations can begin.'

She made a fist with her hand and frowned. There was one huge setback however as these vessels was not what she had hoped to have possessed. 'This…slave has almost no Aura. I was expecting at the very least a scouting party to discover us, not useless peasants.' She clenched her fist even harder and concentrated but when little more than a faint glow emerged from her palm she gave up and scoffed in anger. 'This…is not what I had planned.'

"Cinder."

High Harbinger Cinder was brought of her thoughts by a calmer Seven. The girl's mouth was practically dripping with gore now as blood and bits of flesh covered her lips. The corpse was still largely intact but there was little doubt that a large portion of the flesh inside of it was missing. Yet even with so much gore around her, her grey eyes were alight with joy and happiness and her bloody smile fostered nothing but love and affection for the woman in front of her. In one hand she held the now terribly bloody dagger and in her other she gripped the foreman's liver, freshly extracted and dripping with blood and bile. "You should eat."

Cinder returned the young woman's smile with her own and accepted the offer. Even in the bleakest of times her Grand Priestess still put her before herself. "Thank you, my beloved Ruby."

As she bit into the lukewarm flesh she was joined by Ruby as they faced each other. Both ate in silence until Cinder had her fill and cut a section off of the foreman's shirt to wipe the blood from her lips and hands. "Not one day into our resurrection and already my plans have already crumbled greatly."

"Hmm," Ruby hummed in thought as she chewed. "What could we have done though?"

"Nothing," Cinder replied in a low, harsh tone. "And that greatly upsets me."

"Fear not Cinder," Ruby chirped, offering her beloved with a bloody smile. "So long as we are still alive, the promise may yet be fulfilled."

Cinder sharply raised her eyes to meet Ruby's and glared. "May?" She growled.

Ruby kept her smile up and shook her head. "You're right, it will be fulfilled."

"Hmph," Cinder scoffed as she clenched her fist again.

"Do you think any of the Gods survived the Purge?"

"Perhaps, but that is not our priority yet. For now we must awaken the Sorority. Only then can we have the power to begin reviving the Gods."

Silence permeated the cavern once again as the weight of those words fell onto both women. That is until Cinder broke it with an astute observation. "Perhaps there was some good to come out of all of this."

"Hmm?" Ruby hummed in confusion.

Cinder gave a low, melodic chuckle as she reached over to pinch Ruby's tiny cheek. "For one, you are the shorter one now."

A silent moment passed before the cavern almost shook with the cutest roar Patch Island had ever heard.

* * *

**Thank you all for reading. Unfortunately college is a pain so updates to this and my other stories will slow to a crawl for now. I should be writing at full throttle within a few weeks though.**

**Feedback, constructive criticism, and reviews are all welcome. **


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